Art gives us the opportunity to gain an unlived emotional experience, access to our own and others’ fantasies and ideas. For the illusion to be complete and for us to feel, shed tears and laugh heartily, art must be expressed in the language of the unconscious. And so it does, armed with a metaphor and a symbol, it beats, but gently, bypassing the brain, immediately towards the heart. Narcissism is said to be a symptom of modern society, but it has always been with us, and before it became a psychological concept, it took its place in art, as it often does. It started, of course, with myths.
In ancient times there were various interpretations of the legend of Narcissus. I like the version of the myth where he had a twin sister. They looked and dressed exactly the same. The sister dies and Narciso cannot accept the loss. Accidentally looking at the source, he takes his reflection for the image of his sister and dies in pain, unable to tear himself away from her beloved face.
Here, narcissism appears as a fantasy, due to which a person loses touch with reality. sexual fantasy included. Sex and narcissism are most connected, because, in truth, sexual attraction is an extension of love for oneself and the parent object. There is only one energy, the question is how it is transformed and to whom it is directed. In the case of a narcissist, the only way to feel alive is to feel wanted by others.
